国际大闲话:以色列被指"屈服于中国压力"
Benjamin Netanyahu faces a domestic political scandal with possible international repercussions after news emerged his government withdrew a witness in a US lawsuit brought on behalf of terrorism victims after facing pressure from China.
本雅明•内塔尼亚胡(Benjamin Netanyahu)面临一场可能产生国际反响的国内政治丑闻，原因是他领导的政府据传在中国的压力下，从美国一起代表恐怖袭击受害人的诉讼中撤回了一名证人。Yesterday, an Israeli government official and a lawyer representing the victims confirmed a newspaper report this weekend that the Chinese government threatened to cancel a visit by the Israeli prime minister to China in May if he allowed a former intelligence official to give evidence against the Bank of China in a New York court.
昨日，一名以色列政府官员和一名代表受害人的律师证实了上周末的一则报道，即中国政府曾发出威胁，如果内塔尼亚胡任由一名前情报官员在纽约一家法庭出庭作证，提供不利于中国银行(Bank of China)的证词，就会取消这名以色列总理在今年5月的访华之行。Mr Netanyahu called Michael Oren, his US ambassador, back to Jerusalem for a meeting on Sunday after Yedioth Ahronoth, an Israeli newspaper, broke the story, which will be embarrassing for a politician who has made the fight against Islamist terror groups a hallmark of his three terms in office.
以色列《新消息报》(Yedioth Ahronoth)报道这件事之后，内塔尼亚胡周日把该国驻美大使迈克尔•奥伦(Michael Oren)叫回耶路撒冷开会商讨。对于在三届总理任期都把对抗伊斯兰主义恐怖组织标榜为自身特色的政治人物来说，这件事相当难堪。
The Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment on the affair.
以色列总理办公室拒绝评论此事。Lawyers representing families of 22 terror victims are bringing a suit in courts in New York in relation to a 2007 suicide bombing at a bakery in the southern Israeli city of Eilat, a 2008 shooting attack at a rabbinical seminary in Jerusalem and rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip on the southern city of Sderot.
代表22名恐怖袭击受害人家属的律师，正在纽约法庭提起诉讼，涉及2007年在以色列南方城市埃拉特(Eilat)一家面包店发生的自杀式炸弹袭击，2008年在耶路撒冷一所犹太教神学院发生的枪击，以及从加沙地带(Gaza Strip)对准以色列南方城市斯德洛特(Sderot)发射的火箭弹袭击。They allege that the Bank of China, through its US branch, laundered funds intended for Hamas and Islamic Jihad, the militant groups active in Gaza, which both Israel and the US describe as terrorist groups.
他们称，中行通过其美国分支机构，为流向哈马斯(Hamas)和伊斯兰圣战组织(Islamic Jihad)的资金进行洗钱操作。这两个活跃在加沙地带的武装组织被以色列和美国都列为恐怖组织。Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, an attorney representing the victims, told the Financial Times that prosecutors had identified, with the help of Israeli security officials, an account held by a Palestinian living in Guangzhou, China, whom they allege sent $2m to $3m to Hamas and Islamic Jihad via Jordan.
代表受害人的律师尼特萨娜•达尔山-莱特纳(Nitsana Darshan-Leitner)对英国《金融时报》表示，在以色列安全官员的协助下，检察官指认出一名居住在中国广州的巴勒斯坦人的一个账户，检方称，此人通过约旦向哈马斯和以色列圣战组织汇款200万至300万美元。The money was sent in dollars, routed through the Bank of China’s New York branch.
用美元汇出的这些资金由中行的纽约分支机构中转。Prosecutors allege the money was used for supplies such as school beds and student uniforms sent to Hamas and Islamic Jihad in Gaza, which were later sold to fund their organisations.
检方称，这些资金被用于采购学校宿舍床和校服等供应品，并发往加沙地带的哈马斯和伊斯兰圣战组织，随后出售，使这些组织获得经费。Ms Darshan-Leitner said the antiterrorism division of Israel’s government met Chinese officials and asked them to close down the account, but were rebuffed.
达尔山-莱特纳表示，以色列政府的反恐部门曾接触中国官员，促请他们关闭那个账户，但遭到拒绝。She said the security services had approached her, asking her to file a suit against the Bank of China. The Shurat HaDin Israeli Law Center, for which Ms Darshan-Laitner works, brings litigation on behalf of victims killed by suicide bombings, rocket attacks and other terrorist incidents.
她表示，以色列安全部门随即与她联系，让她提起针对中国银行的诉讼。达尔山-莱特纳的工作单位——Shurat HaDin以色列法律中心——经常代表自杀式炸弹袭击、火箭弹袭击和其它恐怖主义事件的受害人提起诉讼。The group agreed, she said, on condition that a former intelligence official with knowledge of the alleged financial transactions would appear in court.
她表示，该法律中心同意提起诉讼，但条件是了解相关金融交易的一名前情报官员要出庭作证。“The deposition was supposed to take place around April, until Netanyahu was supposed to go to China,” Ms Darshan-Leitner said. “Because of pressure that was put on the Israeli government by the Chinese government before Netanyahu’s visit to China, the Israeli government decided not to allow the witness to testify.”
“原来安排在4月前后让证人出庭，没想到跟内塔尼亚胡出访中国之行扯上了关系，”达尔山-莱特纳表示。“由于内塔尼亚胡访问中国之前，中国政府对以色列政府施加了压力，因此以色列政府决定不让该证人出庭作证。”The Bank of China, the country’s main institution for handling foreign exchange transactions, was not immediately available for comment yesterday.
中行是中国处理外汇交易的主要机构。记者昨日一时联系不上中行请其置评。
